Where The Newspaper Stands

May 03, 2002

In Hampton

2 Spencers plus 1 Gilliland equals 3 winners

Eight candidates are vying for three seats on the Hampton City Council, and the campaign they have been involved in has focused on two economic development projects in the city: the Crossroads convention center and the Power Plant retail/entertainment center.

Whether and how those projects move forward depends, ultimately, on decisions yet to be made -- though they will be made soon. So even though there are other important issues for Hampton voters to consider, many of them will probably go to the polls Tuesday weighing their votes to some extent on their perception of how the city's leadership is handling the two projects. That means not just whether these projects are smart, or can be modified to the city's best benefit, but whether the city should even be in such public-private endeavors at all. Regarding the latter concern, there should be no debate. The city has to engage in the business of economic development -- including public-private partnerships -- or it will become an economic backwater.

The point here, however, is not to try to assess the specific projects. They are complicated. They pose risks, but they also present potential solutions to the city's need to generate additional tax revenue.

Where they have suffered most has been the lack of open, informed and critical discussion involving the leaders and residents of Hampton. "Critical" doesn't mean potshots and barbs; it means analytical. It means civil discussion in open forums about the projects with, one would have hoped, enough involvement by members of the City Council to demonstrate that they actually understand these projects. Such informative conversation has been scarce, though the recent public meetings on the projects have been an imperfect step in the right direction.

As a consequence, there's the real sense among some that city officials, elected and staff, have been reluctant to discuss the risks, and that has fed a perception that there's a steamroller coming and taxpayers are going to be crushed under it.

This failure of communication doesn't negate the underlying validity of the projects, or, at least, the need for something like them. As for the division in the city over the projects, it is certainly noisy on the surface. How deep it goes, well, Tuesday will tell. Voters could send a message that they want these projects stopped.

The better approach, however, is to elect three people who residents can be sure will bring open minds and critical thinking to the final, defining decisions to be made regarding Crossroads and the Power Plant -- the kind of approach and analysis that will also serve well on the other issues Hampton faces.

Those three are incumbent Joe Spencer, challenger Randy Gilliland and, with some reservations, incumbent Turner Spencer.

The reservations about Turner Spencer are that he simply hasn't been an aggressive leader. Regarding Crossroads and Power Plant, this doesn't mean he had to trumpet these projects. But he could long ago have accepted a very public role of getting out and educating people about the pros and cons. Instead, it seems he has been willing to sit back and let staff do the work and take the lumps. That makes him vulnerable to charges of being a rubber-stamp, not a watchdog of the public's interests.

Still, in the final analysis, Turner Spencer can be counted on to make decisions based on an objective reading of the best data presented. His will not be an ideological, predetermined decision.

Hampton residents can count on former mayor Joe Spencer to be more aggressive. He demonstrated that Wednesday, when he voted against more money for the convention center. That vote seems premature, and fortunately it doesn't derail the project. But if nothing else, the vote shows that it isn't just the usual crop of naysayers who are worried about the costs of Crossroads.

More such honest scrutiny would be welcome -- would reassure the public -- and that's why Gilliland would be a positive addition to the council. As he is not an incumbent, he might not be as familiar to voters as either of the Spencers. Gilliland, however, has been active in neighborhood and civic work, is a member of the city's Industrial Development Authority and a successful businessman. He has demonstrated that he understands the sometimes-complex calculations involved in assessing development projects.

Gilliland can best be described as highly skeptical of both the Power Plant and Crossroads, but he would not receive this endorsement if his mind were closed on the subjects. Rather he receives it in large measure because he will give informed scrutiny to any and all deals, and that should reassure the public.

Gilliland stands out, too, because he has sound ideas about revitalizing older neighborhoods and corridors, such as King Street and Kecoughtan Road. He is a strong advocate of open government, less secrecy.